A Quote from the January Public Watchtower: SHOULD YOU FEAR THE END OF THE WORLD?

by Londo111 19 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • Londo111
    Londo111

    A little preamble: Of the handful of online friends I've made during my time on JWN, AuntBee has certainly been the best. The time and dedication that she has to help JWs is amazing, even more amazing when one considers she was never a JW herself. She is very well read.

    Here is a video she made:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGhjc4uVr2U

  • Londo111
    Londo111

    A synposis of the video for those who cannot play it right now:

    This is based on a quote from page 6 of SHOULD YOU FEAR THE END OF THE WORLD?

    In the book The Last Days Are Here Again, Professor Richard Kyle writes that “sudden change and social chaos create an atmosphere conducive to predictions of the end of the world.” That is especially the case when the change and chaos seem hard to explain.

    It is very curious, especially when you look at the topics the book covers. If you do a Google Books Search, things become even more interesting.

    A few quotes:

    'The Jehovah's Witnesses may be the most persistent date-setters in history.'

    'Their leaders have earmarked the years 1874, 1878, 1881, 1910, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975, and 1984 as times of eschatological significance. Although Millenarians supposedly cannot last long as millenarians, the Jehovah’s Witnesses seem to have defied this conventional wisdom.'

    'For over a hundred years the sky had been going to fall shortly. Yet apparently Jehovah hasn't been listening," wrote one disillusioned ex-Jehovah's Witness.'

    Stop the press! So...the Watchtower quotes from a publication which quotes from an "apostate"!

    What kind of juicy quotes can we find from this publication, since evidently, it is sanctioned by the Watchtower as approved reading?

    Here is a link to google books:

    http://books.google.com/advanced_book_search

    Under Title, put: The Last Days Are Here Again

    Then search on words like 1975, Jehovah's Witness, 1925, and so forth.

  • sd-7
    sd-7
    Stop the press! So...the Watchtower quotes from a publication which quotes from an "apostate"!

    We can, you can't. I see how it works. Again. Reminds me of that quote from the John Rylands Library in the Trinity brochure, quoting from a book that denies Jesus ever considered himself the Christ. But we're gangrene, right?

    --sd-7

  • wha happened?
    wha happened?

    I think it's the result of internet searches for quotes that appear to support their wacky beliefs, but an examination of the article reveales much more. Usually the opposite, but this one is juicy, quoting the gangrene

  • Londo111
    Londo111

    http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/wp20130101/should-you-fear-end-of-world/

    Maybe I should link to the article in question for context.

    Let's all click on it! That way, this thread should end up on their Google monitoring reports, and we can let the Society know what a splendid job they did in quoting a book that quotes "apostates".

  • Londo111
    Londo111

    I noticed that Crisis of Conscience is listed as a reference in The Last Days Are Here Again.

    Here are more quotes from the book:

    Fifty years later, the Watchtower Society repudiated the 1925 prediction. The society even reported Rutherford's admitting “that he made an ass of himself over 1925." But this debacle did not stop the Jehovah's Witnesses from making future predictions. To be sure, they held off for a while, waiting until 1966 to make another major prediction. In that year the Watchtower Society leaders pointed to 1975 as the probable date for the end of the world. Now declaring 4026 B.C. to be the date for creation, they counted forward six thousand years. But doomsday did not come in 1975. Once again, the disillusioned Jehovah's Witnesses defected in droves.

    Most such groups make one or perhaps two failed predictions. But the Jehovah’s Witnesses won’t quit.

    This new biblical arithmetic concluded that 1873 was the six thousandth year from Adam's creation. Thus the millennial rule of Christ—the seventh day—was about to dawn. When nothing happened in that year, in Adventist style Barbour and Russell spiritualized the return of Christ. Pointing out that parousia (the Greek word used to designate Christ's return) actually meant "presence," they concluded that Christ's presence on earth had begun in 1874. However, until right before the battle of Armageddon, Christ's invisible presence will be known only to his faithful followers. At Armageddon Christ will appear physically and reveal his wrath to all humanity.

    At the close of the thousand-year period, Satan again will be loosed to deceive the nations. But God will destroy him. Russell believed that the harvest or gathering of the elect would be complete by 1881.

    When it did not come in 1914, Russell slightly adjusted his timetable to 1918. But Russell did not live to see his prediction fail. He died in 1916. His followers were not prepared to see their leader die before the end of the world.

  • Londo111
    Londo111
  • breakfast of champions
    breakfast of champions

    Shall be Google-Booking this later. . .

    Great stuff, thanks!

  • awaken2004
    awaken2004

    What! LOL saving for later . . .

  • breakfast of champions
    breakfast of champions

    Actually, I just ordered the book from an Amazon Reseller.

    I am definitely going to use this with my wife. . . .

    Thanks LONDO111

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